High Definition Media Interface (HDMI) cables contain nineteen wires that must be terminated to a connector at each end. Prior art termination methods include Insulation Displacement Contacts (IDC), wave form soldering and hand soldering. Because of the relatively high number of wires and the compact form of the connector, terminations of HDMI cables historically have been done in a factory setting to maintain necessary control and consistency to ensure quality of the connection.
Recently, at least one cable manufacturer has developed a connector design and method which enables field terminating HDMI cables (HDFT), while preserving the necessary quality of the connection. In this connector design, the connector includes a terminal block with Insulation Displacement Contacts (IDC) and a male connector portion, two unique wire guides for containing individual wires in position to be aligned with the IDC for termination, and two outer housing components.
The HDMI cable is terminated by first cutting the HDMI cable to desired length. A predetermined length of the outer jacket of the HDMI cable is then stripped from both ends of the cable. Preferably, approximately 1.5″ to 2.0″ of the outer HDMI cable is stripped from each end. The exposed braided shielding and foil are trimmed from the stripped ends. The foil shielding is then removed from the twisted pairs of wires in the HDMI cable. After being separated, the individual wires are laced into designated holes of wire guides. Thereafter, approximately 0.5″ to 1.0″ of the wires are trimmed from outside of the wire guide. The laced wire guides are positioned onto corresponding locations of terminal block and the laced wire guides are compressed towards the terminal block a sufficient amount to cause the contacts in the terminal block to pierce the insulation surrounding the conductors in the wires and to engage the individual conductors (crimping or termination process). The ground wire is attached to the outer housing and secured with a strain relief. The outer housing is assembled to a terminated connector.
The connector design and method described above vastly improves the capability for field terminating HDMI cables. The small size of the individual components, the number of wires to be terminated and the relative precision required can cause numerous issues for technicians using conventional tools; such as cable cutters, wire strippers, razor blades, wire cutters and compression tool (i.e., pliers, crimper, etc.); and such issues can be exacerbated with larger-sized tools which hamper precision operation.
One solution which has been developed by tool manufacturers is to use a temporary load fixture to help position the laced wire guides with the terminal block and hold in place during the crimping process, then remove the fixture after termination. This requires an additional component to handle and extra steps.
As each component and each step invites an opportunity for error and adds time to the process, this method is suboptimal. This is particularly true for professional technicians who may make multiple terminations for one job; resulting in increased time and possibilities for errors.
The present invention provides a tool which provides a more effective and user-friendly solution to yield consistent and quality connections and which overcomes the disadvantages presented by the prior art. Other features and advantages will become apparent upon a reading of the attached specification, in combination with a study of the drawings.